


Despite Your Destination

by Miaka



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: AU, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:07:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23317366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miaka/pseuds/Miaka
Summary: Stranded in an abandoned town, Anna must solve puzzles in order to regain her memories if she wants any chance of going home. But as they say, sometimes the journey matters more than the destination.
Relationships: Anna/Hans (Disney)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Despite Your Destination

She opened her blue eyes with a start and lifted her cheek off the warm, soft sand. At first, she had the concern of having drank too much the night before. For her to wake up outside, it was the only reasonable explanation. The tranquil lull of a tide called to her as she groaned and sat up on her knees. Freckles dotted the back of her soft hands.

 _No wrinkles_ , she observed. With that thought, it occurred to her.

She didn't know where she was, that was her second problem. Her first problem was not knowing who she was.

She glanced around calmly. One had to stay calm in such a situation, she supposed. She was on a tiny beach. There were maybe ten paces on either side of her between two uneven walls of rock, and then another ten from her to the glittering grey sea. She stood up and turned around slowly to discover the dark entrance to a cave.

"Hmm…"

With narrowed eyes, she strode over to one of the rocky dead-ends that stretched into the water, hesitating before she stepped into the tide. She quickly rested one hand upon the rocks, balancing herself as she lifted one leg and then the other, reaching under her floor-length skirt to unbutton and slip off each boot. Her stockings would soak, but she could always lay them out to dry. White spots on black caught her eye, and she paused, bringing her fingers up to the bow tie at the neck of her white collared blouse. Although she had no memory of her tastes and dislikes, she felt amusement for the decorative piece. Her blouse sported the spotted pattern as well, only it was grey on pastel pink.

"Right. Here I go."

She bit her lip and bunched up a large section of her dark skirt in one hand, bringing up the rest in her other hand before she took a cautious step onto the damp sand. It was soft and cool against her soles, which left imprint after imprint as she carefully trod forth into the gentle waves. The further she inched out into the water, the stronger the waves slapped up against her as the tide came rushing in. She stayed as close to the rock as possible, unable to grasp its sides. There was just too much skirt on her to hold up in one hand.

The ground suddenly dropped where she took her next step. She yelped and plunged into the cold depths with her arms flailing above her, her skirts billowing up around her. Air bubbles poured out of her as she breathed in saltwater. She kicked her feet out in front of her to push herself back to the higher beach floor, grateful to higher powers when her feet met the ground and she could stand up above the water again. Her dress dripped and clung to her legs as she shivered, both annoyed and relieved.

Resigned to her discomfort, however, she turned toward the mass of rock on her right and grabbed hold to the jagged sections. She had to watch out for sharp edges as she slowly worked her way out to that deeper section of sea again, clinging so as not to fall back into the water. Little by little, she made herself to the farthest reach, hoping to glimpse a harbor around its corner, or even just a wider beach. Any kind of settlement would be welcome. But as she peered around the edge, she could only see more uneven rocks ascending into the cliff-side looking over the ocean.

"Well, that's a nope," she mused, deciding to retrace her steps. She carefully brushed her feet over the submerged wall for solid footing as she inched back to the shore. When she felt she was close enough to step down, she lowered one foot until she found the ground and then let go of the rocks.

She shivered and hugged herself as she splashed forward onto the shore, her puff sleeves soaked and sunken. She bent down to scoop up her boots and walked a bit farther along the beach before she bent down to slip her boots back on, daintily buttoning up the sides and then ruffling her skirt to shake out some of the water. She took as much time as possible, the mouth of the cave ahead of her somewhat imposing. She had no memory of fearing the dark, but something about the cave frightened her. What would she find within?

Then, she scoffed. There was nowhere else to go. There was no point in spooking herself.

"Just go in, Anna!" she hissed at herself. She blinked…and blinked again, looking down at her palms, turning them over. Slowly, her lips spread into a smile.

 _Anna_.

So, she had a name. That was as good a start as any.

She arched one eyebrow and lifted her eyes once more to face the entrance to the cave ahead.

* * *

It felt like the cave was swallowing her whole. The light from the beach behind her gradually weakened. She kept turning to look over her shoulder, as if to make sure she could turn around. But she knew she was being silly. The only way to go was forward.

At some point, there was hardly any light left, and she panicked about going any further until she spotted a faint blue glow around a corner ahead. She steeled herself against the chilly breeze blowing from the belly of the cave and pushed forward, following the dim light to an archway that opened into an underground valley of crystals. The change in scenery was so startlingly welcome that she almost tripped over her own feet. Had she done so, she'd have scraped past a spike of ice-like gem standing out against the narrow path between two ridged walls of colorful rock. Anna swallowed in relief and stared at the beautiful, eerie passage ahead. It was an improvement from the dark tunnel at her back but still intimidating.

Still, she made her way forward, care full putting her back to one side wherever an overgrown spear of crystal spiked out from one of the walls.

Although this part of the cavern felt huge, she only took twelve paces before a dark exit came up in front of her, much like the one she had entered from. She held in a groan of disappointment. Back in the dark already, she thought. Hopefully not for long!

She took one last wistful gaze at the crystals behind her, unable to help thinking it was as pretty as an ice cavern. Unsure of where the thought came from, she trudged ahead, braving the dark passage ahead.

While she felt her way along in the darkness, grateful for the smoother rock walls, Anna contemplated her amnesia. It might be she washed ashore after a ship wreck, but she couldn't think where she'd come from or what her destination had been. Moreover, how could she be the only one here who washed up from the sea? It just didn't make sense that she was alone.

Minutes passed with no revelations, but she did come to another archway. This time, there were crystals only hanging from high above, glowing green and blue to illuminate a small underground lake. Anna squinted at a white opening in the cave across the lake. It seemed she'd have to cross to exit the cavern. She sighed at the idea of getting into water again as she stepped forward to the solid bank. There was no mud or sand like the beach outside, only hard rock under her feet before it gave way to water. In the darkness, even with the light reflected off the crystals overhead, it was impossible to tell how deep the water was. Again, fear trickled over her as it had when she first entered the cave. Fear of the unknown.

"Well, that would be pretty much everything right now," she joked to herself. She crouched down near the water and hesitated. "Maybe…" She reached one hand toward the dark water, took a deep breath, and dipped her fingers in up to the first knuckles.

She immediately screamed and tore her hand up out of the lake, scrambling backwards to get away from the water, panting as her head swam with unbearable heartbreak. It actually hurt to try and process the emotions that struck her, with no memories as context. Her heart ached and tears welled up in her eyes as she panted and struggled to calm herself.

"It's… just… water…." She panted through her confusion and inexplicable anguish. Something clicked and echoed throughout the cavern. She heard the splash of water and jumped up to her feet, hugging her arms about herself as she watched the water stir.

Flat-topped rocks rose about a foot out of the water, a path of them from her side of the lake to the other. Anna rubbed her eyes and willed herself back to the water's edge again. She gazed at the bridge of stones, speechless. Somehow her disturbance of the lake had summoned the rocks. But how?

If she had to guess how many there were, she'd have said a hundred. But she gave up counting as the placement of the rocks was too random without even rows.

"I guess I have to cross this way…" she muttered, wishing for a ferryman instead.

She bit her bottom lip and lifted one foot to step on the nearest stone when a terrible thought occurred. What if the stone sank under her weight, and she was plunged into the distressing water again?

"It's just water." Or so she told herself. But she knew with every fiber of being that falling into the water would be dangerous. If the pain from just her submerged fingers was so bad, how much worse it would be to completely fall in.

She gulped. But… rocks didn't just float. She focused on the dark water, trying to peer through to see if the rocks were in fact pillars. But there was no telling. Her leap onto the first rock would be a leap of faith. She _could_ turn back, but there was nothing back at the beach for her. She ought to move forward.

She shut her eyes and inhaled once before staring down the lake with as much courage as she could summon.

Then, Anna braced herself…and hopped onto the first stone. The moment she landed, all the stones in the water flashed and glowed different colored runes at the center. Some illuminated red, others green, blue, yellow or violet. The stone under her feet was the only one left colorless. Her brow wrinkled up in thought as she scanned all the rocks, wishing she could read them.

"That's…weird. I think? Yeah, that's weird."

She rolled up her still-drenched sleeves a bit and worked herself up a bit after choosing the next rock to leap to. There was a green one up and off to the left that was just a bit closer for her, she decided, than the deep blue one directly forward. She exhaled and then made the jump, relieved when she successfully landed on the green rune.

But Anna's relief lasted for all of two seconds when the stone beneath her abruptly fell away into the water. She let out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the chamber as she went flailing into the cold water.

The moment she fell in, her heart was seized by such misery and tightness that she sobbed into the water. She brought her hands up to her chest, her fingers desperately digging at her blouse as waves of despair clouded her head.

Still… a part of her fought it, got her feet kicking, and soon her hands followed, fiercely treading as she forced her eyes to open. Blue light streamed down from the next closest rune. She made that her goal as she fought through agony to reach it.

What felt like minutes must have been mere seconds as she pushed her way up to the rock, a column she was able to wrap herself around and climb till she broke the surface. It took all of her strength to yank herself out of the water and onto the rock with the royal blue rune. The rock was about three paces across. She coughed up water, her ears ringing and throbbing with the most awful sound. Her shoulders, legs, hands, everything trembled, and she could not stop. The cave seemed to spin around her as she curled up, her eyes gradually closing. As she passed out, she realized the sound in her ears was her own wailing.

* * *

Anna's neck ached when she woke up. She jerked and sat up too quickly, wincing at a pop she felt between her shoulder blades. Looking all around, she was dismayed to find herself kneeling on one of the stones in the cavern's lake. The despair had passed though, for which she was grateful.

She reached behind her to rub at that tender spot on her back as she looked at the distant cavern shore. It wasn't even all that far, but the puzzle before her certainly made it seem so. She glanced down at the dark blue rune at her feet as she stood, unable to recognize it. Even if she could, without her memories to serve as context, the meaning of the runes wouldn't help.

"Well, this is just great… really great…" She shivered, quite vulnerable to the damp and chilly air of the cavern with her clothes being drenched again. "Ah…" Her eyes drifted down her dress, the cogs of her mind beginning to turn as she pondered. She quickly glanced behind her and stared at the gap of water between her and the shore where the stone that had sunk remained submerged. Then, she turned back to face the myriad of colors glowing in wait before her.

How to figure out the next stone, though?

She frowned in thought for a moment, idly wringing her soaked skirt. Her hand froze as she thought of something, gazing down at the wet fabric in her hands. Then, in an excited rush, she reached for the bottom of her dress, turning it through her fingers. No good, this material was too thick. She reached underneath for one of the under layers, her fingertips poking at the intricate spaces between lace.

This would do. She took a deep breath and dug three fingers into the lace trim while tightly hanging onto the rest of the skirt before she yanked upwards. The underskirt resisted, but when Anna heard the tearing sound, she kept pulling, ripping the trim away from herself as the seams came undone. When she had completely torn it off, she then tried to rip it into even smaller pieces. The lace proved resistant, however, and it took her teeth to do it. When she had four decent bits of lace trim, she rolled one up in a ball and flicked her gaze up to look upon several stones around hers.

There was a red rune, a black rune and two other yellow runes on either side of those.

"It can't be yellow… with two of them so close…" she decided, though unsure of herself. Her gaze hung over the black rune on the left and the red on the right. She cleared her throat, uncomfortable with the silence all around her. But she made a choice. She'd throw the bit of lace in her hand and see if a stone sank when it landed. That way she would learn if the stones reacted to any weight, or if it was strictly herself they either sank or floated for.

Anna aimed for the black rune and tossed the crumbled lace. She held her breath as she watched it fall. Sure enough, the moment the lace tapped against the rune, the rock sank into the water. Her head reeled. Hopefully, she was right about this. Her fingers tightened about the other pieces of lace in her hand as she lifted her eyes to behold all the other stones in the water. The question was whether she should conserve her rock-testing ammo or not risk falling into the awful lake again.

With a sigh, she stared down the red rune ahead… and lunged across the watery space to step onto it, bracing herself as much as possible. Thankfully, though with a bit of swaying until she righted herself, the stone remained beneath her feet. Her face brightened at this revelation until she heard something behind her. Twisting around, Anna caught the little ripples of disturbed water as every single stone in the uneven rows behind her retreated beneath the lake's surface.

She blinked and frowned. There'd be no turning back, then.

"Okay. All right."

That was fine. What did she need to go back for?

She turned again to face the path ahead. She didn't know what awaited her, but it couldn't be worse than the lake.

Could it?

She shook herself to bring her focus back, gauging the next few rocks before her.

"Dark blue… then red… hmm, so we're not following the path of a rainbow then…" she murmured, her brow wrinkling up as she tried to recall the shape of the first rune. It had been a single vertical line with two smaller downward lines sticking out of its top. Familiarity stirred within her as she recalled… being embraced by someone dear to her. But as she prodded at her mind for more, she couldn't make anymore out of it.

She sighed. Onto the next rock, then. There were only two within leaping distance this time, the others just out of comfort. She bit her lip and glanced back and forth between a white rune and the light green one next to it. Then, she peered down at the red one beneath her.

Again, she separated out one handful of lace and tossed it, this time letting it fall upon the stone with the white rune. The stone did not react. So, she jumped for it.

This time, when she landed, she was struck not by pain, but the memory of it… coursing through her head. A deep, icy pain accompanied by the sensation of falling. Someone cried out to her in the memory, and she knew it was the same person whose embrace she had recalled a moment before. But still, her mind gave up no more than that.

Still, one thing was clear at least. Each time she took a leap forward, she gained back some part of her memory. Things were still pretty fuzzy, but it was progress.

She heard the stones behind her slowly slip back into the water as she looked down at her hands. Two pieces of trim left, and then she'd have to figure something else out.

At least the next step was easy. There was only a yellow rune nearby, the others a bit too far for her to trust. So, Anna jumped onto the stone with the yellow rune, and was again rewarded with another memory.

"Home!" she said immediately, the sensation washing over her as she recalled a town on the water… and a castle back-dropped by forest and mountains. "Arendelle…" Faces came to her too. Familiar servants and her… her parents. Mother and Father. Her eyes grew wet as she could see their faces clearly, though she knew in her heart it had been so long since she'd seen them.

She wiped her eyes dry, feeling emboldened by the happy memories, even if there was an undertone of grief about her parents.

Anna threw her last piece of lace and watched as a stone with a deep red rune sank away into the lake. She reached up to the spotted bow at her neck and ripped it away from her blouse. She had a light blue and a light green rune to choose from. She gulped and tossed the bow toward the light blue rune.

"Light blue it is!"

This time, she remembered her sister Elsa. Happy times flooded her mind, all the times they played together, the stories they told, songs they invented and performed for their parents.

But there was the accident too. More tears prickled her eyes as she remembered that fateful night when she'd woken Elsa up to play in the great hall.

Their parents had shut the castle gates after that. Elsa and Anna were separated. She rubbed at her eyes again as she remembered the painful separation… all because of Elsa's gift, which was instead treated like a curse upon the whole household. But Anna had never felt that way. She knew the truth. Her sister's magic was a beautiful thing.

Too bad she was the only one who saw that.

She shuddered as she checked behind her, confirming the stones once again would retreat beneath the surface. She was already half-way to the other shore. She could do this. It'd just take some creativity.

Her fingers twitched as she brought her hands up to her blouse. Two buttons. Maybe even three. Any more than that and she'd be wary of indecency should she chance upon anyone outside of the cave. She popped the buttons off easily, vaguely worried that they weren't heavy enough to make the stones react. But she had to try. The longer she spent in the cave, the more impatient she grew to be out of it.

She cast the button to one of the stones and cringed as it bounced off into the water. But apparently that light disturbance was enough to make the rock sink, its yellow rune disappearing beneath the rippling water as Anna turned her eyes to the three other stones in front of her. A deep green rune, a white rune and a light red rune remained. She aimed for the white rune… and then jumped for that stone, when it did not react to the button.

She got lucky with the next two runes, two deep greens one after the other. Memories of Arendelle seasons lifted her spirits as she stared down the final two stones between her and the dry shore. She stepped onto the white stone as the other was past it.

Sadness welled up in her as she recalled the day news of her parents' shipwreck reached Arendelle. Losing them had been hard enough. But not having Elsa to get through it made it even worse. Her sister, who had already drifted far away from her, truly locked herself away after that. The tears stung as they rolled down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them now. She shuddered and stood in place for a moment, letting herself grieve.

"What is this place?" she wondered aloud. There was magic at play. But whose?

The last stone was unlit by any rune. So, there were no more memories here for her. Moreover, she couldn't…remember anything past the day before Elsa's coronation. Was she abducted before Elsa's crowning? But who would want her? She was just a…spare.

"Unless this is all some sort of… conspiracy to stop the coronation…?" Her brow furrowed as elaborate plots filled her active imagination. "I have to get to Elsa!"

Without further hesitation, she quickly darted onto the last stone and then onto the shore. The exit was in sight. She could even glimpse a blue sky. Before she dashed ahead, she glanced back one more time. The lake was empty save for ripples where the last stones standing had slowly disappeared into the water.

* * *

Anna held her hand up above her eyes to shield them from the blaring sunlight as she finally stepped out of the cave. She found herself in an abandoned courtyard surrounded by three walls covered in overgrown vines. There were traces of cobblestone on the ground, but much of it had been overturned by grass and neglected maintenance. She looked to her left and spotted four white chairs around a white table, all the furniture dotted by rust. One of the chairs was turned over. Anna wondered at that. But she turned her attention back toward a wooden gate in the wall across from her. She expected another puzzle to be able to open it, but as she lifted the gate latch, she was able to open it easily.

She pushed the gate outward, finding herself at the edge of a birch forest where dry grass came up to her ankles and dead leaves littered the ground. She looked up in confusion, finding autumn foliage overhead. But as she glanced back into the courtyard, the thick grass and vines along the walls looked lush and healthy. How could there be such a difference?

"Magic…" she mused. She let the gate shut behind her and entered the forest apprehensively. There was no path now. But the forest stretched on as far as she could see both to her left and right. She could always turn back, she supposed. But for what? Eventually she would need food and a place to sleep. What if it rained? Or snowed? She shivered at the thought and pressed forward. Hopefully the elements would remain neutral till she found some shelter.

The forest was not the village she hoped to come upon when she left the cave. But at least it was open and bright out. She couldn't help admiring the trees as she passed through, her shivering gradually calming though her clothes weren't completely dry yet. It was warm out.

With her surroundings unchanging, she wasn't sure how much time had passed when she heard running water and perked her head up, trying to gaze ahead. She followed the sound to a narrow brook that crossed her path.

She followed the current for a while, her scenery unchanging until the land dropped off down a slope. Anna paled when she examined the fall before her. The hill was so steep, it was more of a cliff. She hovered at the edge, gazing down at the bubbling brook and its miniature waterfalls. Then, she glanced at he trees she would have to hold on to in order to safely descend. The dead leaves on the forest floor looked dry enough. It would probably be safe.

She suddenly remembered the terrible agony that had assailed her in the water back in the caves. She had to laugh, for no tumble downhill could ever be that bad.

Anna scooted out toward the nearest birch just off the peak of the hilltop. She hugged her arms around the tree, her boots braced against the earth through layers of crunchy leaves. The next birch was out of arm's reach, but she took baby steps to reach it safely.

When she looked back at the top of the hill, it seemed farther than she expected. But as she faced forward once more, the bottom still looked far off. She took a deep breath and considered just slowly trudging her way down instead of moving from tree to tree. All the while, the rippling of the water filled her ears like a hushed forest lullaby.

When Anna took her next step, a rock slid out from under her boot. Startled, she lost her footing and went stumbling forward. She grasped for the next tree, but her momentum sent her scrambling past it. She yelped and fell onto her side, but was quick to lift her upper torso up, one leg stretched out as she tried to slow herself as she slid over broken branches, dead leaves and more rocks. Her legs ached with what would surely be bruises later on.

At last, she came to a stop. She pursed her lips and spat out a dirty leaf, bringing one hand up to graze the scratches on her right cheek. Her right thigh throbbed in pain as she picked herself up.

"Real graceful, Anna…" she muttered, rubbing at her leg to test the tenderness. She winced and yanked her hand away, determined not to go adventuring down any more slopes if she could help it.

On the bright side, she spotted structures through the trees, which told her she had stumbled upon civilization at last. With a victorious grin, she plodded forward through the remaining trees, emerging forward onto a cobblestone path between two colorful wooden houses. The one on her right was painted red while the one on her left was forest green. She peered at the windows decorated with pretty flower boxes, but all views were blocked by curtains.

"Perhaps it's early…?" she mused as she ventured deeper down what appeared to be a residential street. There were more houses beyond the red and the green; a white house, a blue house, another red house, then a deeper green house. They were nearly identical to the first two with minor alterations in lighting and plant life.

Five houses later, a left turn opened uphill. The path ahead seemed to lead onto a main thoroughfare while the left path continued into a less homogenous neighborhood. Anna hesitated only a heartbeat before continuing straight, hoping to encounter someone. No one appeared to be out in the neighborhood. But then, depending on where she was, she might be walking beneath a midnight sun.

Where _was_ she? It wasn't Arendelle, that much she knew.

She found the main road to be lined by empty shops, their window fronts dark and lifeless. There were signs for a tailor, a bootery, a cheese shop, a dress shop and more. She turned about in circles, her lips parting in awe at the number of establishments…all of them seemingly closed.

A foreboding crept over her as she wandered down the street toward a circular intersection. She tried to fight it off, but she couldn't help wondering if she was alone.

"I'll just… wait a bit. Wait for some things to open. Then I can ask someone… where I am…" she trailed off as she realized this entire time she'd been talking to herself to ward off this very feeling of loneliness.

She stopped. To her left…

Anna lifted her head toward a blue building with a bakery on its ground floor. Above were four four-pane windows. The curtain in one rustled just enough that she knew she hadn't imagined the movement in her peripheral vision. She darted over to the entrance, trying the handle without remembering everything appeared to be closed.

But the door opened!

Anna snatched her hand back as the white painted door swung out toward her. It too had a four-pane window through which she could see the bakery was actually open. Its soft light greeted her as she stepped inside, the buttery scent of croissants making her pause to breathe in deeply.

"H-hello?" she called.

A faint hum drew her attention to a curved glass display of scones, royal cake, danish, pasties, croissants, almond cake, turnovers and more. Her mouth watered as she crouched closer to take in the latticed top of the prince's cake. She swallowed her drool to continue inching down along the display case, lingering next at the krumkakes.

Her peaceful discovery was interrupted by hurried footsteps to the far right. She turned her head. An auburn-haired man with sideburns and intense green eyes appeared at the base of a staircase in the back of the café.

"Why now?" he asked when their eyes met. Anna straightened herself and looked around the establishment. But there was no doubt, with no one else present, that she was the one he was speaking to.

"Uh, the door… was open? I thought you were open?"

She gulped and took a step back as the man stomped right up to her. He wore a neatly tailored brown suit over a white shirt and green ascot. The ascot matched his eyes, she thought.

"What do you want? I thought I was done. I don't understand."

Anna winced each time the man spoke. Nothing he said made sense, but his annoyance came through in each thing he said.

"What? Well… it all looks good… but if it's too much trouble, I can come back later… heh, well, I don't have any money on me, but…"

He raised one eyebrow. "Or maybe this is a dream."

Anna clapped her hands together, startling him. "That's what I thought at first! But we can't both be dreaming." She smiled faintly at the idea of sharing a dream with someone. Even if she didn't know him, at least he was gorgeous… she ogled a bit at his jawline before snapping back to attention. "Wait, what? Why would you think you're dreaming? I'm the one who has no idea where I—"

"Anna?"

She shut her mouth and gaped at him. He knew her?

The man's eyes softened as he closed the distance between them, looking into her as if trying to gaze through her. She shifted uncomfortably as the staring grew more intense.

"Is this really you?"

He took her by her shoulders and held her close enough that she gasped. She wriggled, knowing this to be completely inappropriate treatment of a princess.

"If you know me, then you _should_ know to address me as Princess Anna," she huffed, her cheeks warming at the way his lips twitched into a smile before he released her.

Just as quickly, he swept her back toward him into the tightest, most abrupt hug. Anna's breath caught as the gorgeous stranger nuzzled his head to hers, her heart leaping in a panic that she'd encountered a madman. The only other explanation… the only thing that would make any of this all right was if—no way, that would just be crazy.

"Do you… know me?"

* * *

 **A/N:** A caveat? This story will be a Hansanna AU but sort of the more mature, bittersweet cousin to _Frozen in Time_. We're in this ship despite it being heartbreaking. Without giving anything away, I won't be shying away from heartbreak here. I really want to dive into could-have-beens and consequence. I just want to give fair warning because most of my other pieces are pretty light and fluffy.

The title comes from a line in "Under the Milky Way" by The Church. It'll all make sense later. Inspired by _Lost, The Witness,_ and more.


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